I don't know what kind of people would eat green olives and mayo on a hamburger, but in Wisconsin, we would have called that an Ed Gein Burger. My brother claims he likes the toppings(garbage) as he calls it, better than the meat. He could be in an ad for Carls' Jr. on sloppy burgers. Myself, I BBQ all the time for our high school games and I've reverted to simply, meat tomatoes, and onions.

Bread - Two pieces of fresh King's Hawaiian bread sliced just under an inch thick. Plaid, untoasted. I can live with Texas toast-sized (or even regular sandwich sized) white bread as a substitution, but anything other than King's Hawaiian I want actually toasted and not just plain out of the package.

Meat - A pattie about as thick as my thumb and super well done. Almost burnt on the edges. Cooked in a skillet or on a grill; NOT cooked over an open flame. No seasoning of any kind in or on the meat. None.

Tomato - Two or three slices, each about 1/4 to 3/8 inch thick.

Cheese - Slice or two of American. Onion - Several slices of red (some people call them purple) onion. Same thickness as the tomato, and left as entire wedges; not broken up into rings.

Pickle - Take it or leave it.

Mayo - Yes. Hellmann's.

Mustard - Yes. French's or similar.

Miracle Whip - Yes.

Catsup - Yes. Hunt's only.

Salt and pepper - Yes on both.

--- Assembly ---

I start with everything 'unassembled' but laid out in front of me.

(In order from the plate up):

Slice of bread.

Layer of Mayo or Miracle Whip with a small amount of mustard mixed in with it.

One slice of cheese.

One slice/wedge of red onion.

Meat pattie.

Salt and pepper.

One slice of tomato.

One slice of cheese.

Layer of catsup.

Slice of bread.

I build it all, slice it from corner to corner making two smaller triangle-shaped burgers, and dig in. I sometimes add a little more salt as I go along, and I enjoy every bite. In fact, I enjoy making it almost as much as eating it, as you can probably tell.

I build it all, slice it from corner to corner making two smaller triangle-shaped burgers, and dig in. I sometimes add a little more salt as I go along, and I enjoy every bite. In fact, I enjoy making it almost as much as eating it, as you can probably tell.

The best part is a splash of beer on the burger just as it comes off the grill. I went to a dark little cafe in Long Island once and mistook my bottle of Amstel for the Ketchup and splashed about a half an ounce on my burger." /> It was delicious!

This is a hard to answer. I have had them so many ways, and I love to get creative. I'm still laughing at the "plaid" statement.

Mosty, I have a slice of tomato, lettuce, onion, mustard, and mayo. I like my burgers medium.. but not too well done. My most recent burger had sautéed onions, green pepper, and mushrooms with melted monterey jack cheese.. mmmm... I added some A1 on it. *drool* I've also had great greek burgers. You add alittle minced spinach to ground beef with an egg, tad bit lemon juice, salt and pepper. Form into patties. When the burgers are almost done, I top with some feta cheese, and put a lid or foil tent to cover until cheese starts to melt. I put burger on bottom half of a good toasted kaiser roll, slice of tomato, and some Tsatziki (sp?)--cucumber dressing. The possiblities are endless with burgers.

I get really picky about this!! Start with a bun that has some texture, not too hard but not too squishy either. I do a good sized burger in my cast iron skillet, charred outside, medium well inside. Anyone else make this sauce? Tarter sauce mixed with a little ketchup. Sort of comes out like the Big Boy sauce.Our Bob's big boy closed, but my fond memories of that burger remain. Shredded lettuce, Thin slices of raw onion, tomato and dill pickle. I really don't like experiementing and adding anything else, maybe a little mustard sometimes.

Hello all. When I was a little boy of 4 or 5, my mother would chop up green peppers into tiny pieces and plop them into the hamburger, then make patties out of them. My family loved them. I didn't. I never ate a hamburger for years after that. My standard toppings are tomato, lettuce, mayo and mustard. When I am in a certain mood, (don't ask me which mood that is,) I put extra pepper when cooking, then top it with mayo, tomato, and a heaping dose of chilled sauerkraut. A side of fries are a must, with a Dr. Pepper or a frosty glass of beer.

fieldthistle,I'm feeling your pain.When I was pregnant with my son and experiencing delicate stomach, we went to a cookout that promised burgers on the grill. Our host had added all sorts of stuff to the meat, eggs, A1, peppers, onion, garlic, etc. Now I know this is some folks idea of a great burger, but not me! I couldn't eat it.I just want to taste the meat and fixings on a bun.What he served was really a grilled meatloaf!

I don't like "rabbit food" on my burgers, especially the ff kind, tomatos, onions and various condiments depending on type and my current mood. Last night I took 1/3lb of fresh meat formed iinto a patty, coated bothsides with A-1 then panfried over high heat with a couple slices of red onion sharing the pan. 3 slices of american cheese melted over the top til it oozed off the sides and crisped up (reminding me of late nights on granpas porch and cheese toasted on the heater) No bun but a side of cold baked beans and a healthy helping of chips finished up the plate..other times I may use bleucheese and toast or swisscheese and a poppyseed bun or maybe a plain bun (toasted) tomato, onion and mayo on a chedder topped burger.... this forum is NO GOOD for a diet......

I grew up in Kansas City too! I've noticed that wherever I go, I usually am able to get a burger exactly how I want it without any problems, whether it's mushroom swiss, cheddar bacon, or good 'old mayo, pickle, onion, lettuce, 'n' tomato with American. I recently moved to North Carolina, so I'll have to pay attention to the traditional buger toppings in this neck of the woods.

HERE'S THE QUESTION:Having grown up in MO, have you ever had a "Goober Burger"? I have never had one, but apparently they're very popular in Missouri. I know you can get them around the Sedalia/Columbia area, and in the Ozarks. There are billboards for them everywhere across central Missouri. Just about every one of my friends has tried them, and they can't believe I've never had one. A Goober Burger (from what I understand) is a hamburger topped with peanut butter. Sounds pretty strange to me, but everyone I know says it was quite surprisingly delicious. Have you ever had one? Let me know what you think!!!

PS... I didn't read every single page of this thread, so please forgive my redundancy if someone has already posted regarding the Goober Burger.

Thanks for the welcome and the info, Bill! The review was helpful-- don't know how I missed that one... lol. Seems like I've been through the Missouri reviews, but the BBQ places must have stuck with me the most. I'm with you on the Guber burger... they can stay east, and that would be just fine with me!

Originally posted by DinoSWith due respect to you all, the only cheese on a 'true' cheeseburger should be American cheese. This is 'Roadfood' we're talkin', right?

So I've heard, but I'd rather have a good, sharp Swiss, or feta, or bleu cheese. The bigger the burger's bite the better the burger's . Besides, rules are for McDonalds' and other chains.

When I cook them, I like to spread peanut butter on the top, then scrape the peanut butter off before consumption. I'd rather have several thin than one thick slice of onion, and raw over fried. I also like tomatoes, and hate catsup (which would shock anyone that knew me as a kid). Catsup is for dipping fries and onion rings in, but mixed with mustard or a little chili powder or steak sauce.

I also like steak, barbecue, or worcestershire sauce, and mustard. I'll take spread mustard if I must, but would rather have powder or seeds, and a VERY small bit of mustard or that's all I taste. None of that wimpy yellow French's either. Chinese mustard is a bit much for me, though.

In East Lansing, Michigan(spartan country) there is a bar&grill that goes by the name Crunchies. They make the best burgers I've ever had, from teriyaki burgers(slice of pineapple and teriyaki sause) black and blue burgers(blue cheese dressing and cajun spice) atomic burgers(cayanne pepper mix and tabasco) mushroom burgers, etc. They are just the right kind of greasy and they are served with a basket of potato chips you eat the burgers over to catch the grease and make for an especially unhealthy but delicious night out.

The Peanut Barrel may rival Crunchies...great olive burger there (chopped green olives and "olive sauce"), and you can get it on a rye bun. I"m hungry now, I might have to go there for lunch....

If we're talking non-FF or made at home, I'm a purist - a bit of salt, a bit more pepper, cheese (cheddar or American are perfect, but I'll eat almost any of it) and bacon. The perfect burger needs nothing more.

I don't think toppings are a regional thing. I think it's personal and what you are in the mood for.

When I do it at home, the burger goes into a cast iron pan to be seared on the outside and medium rare on the inside with some grilled onions and salt only. Occasionally dipped in catsup, ketchup, whatever.

Out I like the classic of lettuce, tomato, 1000 island also medium rare and juicy.

Almost a pound of freshly ground beef as a hand-formed paddy, cooked on the medium side of medium-rare, with a dressing made of mayo (or preferably, Miracle Whip), a touch of ketchup, a touch of mustard and green relish, sliced dill pickle, iceberg lettuce, and saute'd mushrooms, on a toasted sesame bun, served with either fries or BBQ potato chips.

at home- ground chuck,grilled on my George Forman with swiss or provolone cheese. Whole wheat bun-big glop of may on inside of top bun,lettuce,tomato,burger,thick slice of sweet,raw onion,long slices of dill pickle,dark mustard.

out- no cheese unless they have swiss or provolone,extra pickles,extra raw onion and extra mustard.

If dining out, I like to order my burger with cheddar cheese and bacon. Some lettuce, tomato, and fresh onion is good.

When grilling my own burgers at home, I enjoy that thicker hand-made burger with some Dinosaur BBQ sauce and a nice thick slice of sweet onion, preferably Vidalia if in season and a nice dill pickle on the side.

On most burgers: lettuce, mayo, ketchup, onion (grilled if available) and dill pickle slices. I prefer my burgers on the medium rare side, so since the food police have made that a no-no, I need to get some moisture in there some how. No cheese, thanks.

Hello All,I made an earlier entry, but since then I have discovered a wonderful new taste.As I fry my burger, I put Chi-Chi's salsa sauce on top of my burger. I'll flip theburger, but make sure I don't burn the salsa sauce. I add the salsa late in thefrying stage.Take Care,Fieldthistle

As far as the regional nature of burger toppings goes, I think maybe the fast food chains have had a homogenizing effect. Growing up in New England in the 60s it was ketchup, pickle chips or relish (preferably N.E. sweet pepper relish), and onion for the brave. Mustard fell in strict yes and no camps. Then after the introduction of Big Mac lettuce, tomato and mayo became normal.

I remember ordering burgers at an old drug store style fountain in Fryeburg Maine in the early-mid 70s, before fast food had ventured into rural New England. My brother in law asked for lettuce and tomato. They said, "on a hamburger!?" Classic scene, they called in their buddies from next door to watch this freak eat a hamburger with lettuce and tomato.

In some cases, maybe lousy quality accounts for the variety of toppings used now. In college, the food service ran a tavern which was somewhat more palatable than the cafeteria and (or because) it served beer. They bought frozen, tough, ground bone disks that whinnied when they hit the grill. But the tavern ladies would put anything you wanted on them. With enough grilled onions, sprouts, ketchup, mustard, mayo and whatever else was laying around I thought they were pretty good eating.

Green Chile, all the way. After you have had this ingridient on your burger, there is no turning back. I've had the privilege of eating them this way since my arrival in New Mexico a year and a half ago. Of course, American and/or cheddar cheese is a must to supplement.

When I see a menu with a variety of burgers listed, there is only one that I will definitely go for and that is the Patty Melt. Not all restaurants will put two slices of cheese on the burger, but with a patty melt, it's guaranteed. The combination of the swiss cheese with sauted onions on grilled rye is supreme. I will only add some ketchup to this burger.But if it comes down to the basic burger, cheese is important and once again I turn to swiss, with bacon. Extra ingrediants will include mayo and ketchup and lettuce. When I eat out, I may add sliced tomato and onions, as much as I can get for my hard earned pennies.... Also given a choice, if they are available I will substitute onion rings for fries. This rule applies to burger joints to clam shacks.

I noticed that Louis Lunch was mentioned and when in New Haven, I have gone there a couple of times. There are no real toppings except for the onion that is pressed into the meat prior to cooking and a slice of tomatoe added afterward. They use some form of cheese sauce that is spred onto two slices of toasted white bread. That is it, no ketchup and mustard to be found. In fact the rumor is that you will be harrased and possibly thrown out for asking. Some folks do smuggle the stuff in though...On another note, bring a jack-knife so you can carve your initials into the wooden table tops. Everybody does that.Try the Foxon sodas, they are made with real sugar and no other mock sweetners such as fructose or corn syrup. These soda also appear at the three more famous pizzerias that are in that town. But great sodas are another thread...

From my experience, California's traditional burger toppings are either the aforementioned Avocado/bacon/cheddar mix or come from the do-it-yourself condiment bar that looks kind of like a salad bar. I'm definitely a fan of the latter since it gives you a lot of freedom as to what you can put on your burger.

My main burger consists of a good bit of mayonnaise and lots of dill pickle chips. Sometimes I will eat it with lettuce, but I have to be in the mood.

I also like like a good steak sauce or barbecue sauce on a home grilled hamburger. At times, I like a good chili-burger...chili(no beans) with cheese and a light jalepenos.

I know that the mustard/ketchup regional thing was always that...regional. I grew up in Springfield Ohio, and the dressing of sorts for almost all burgers was mayonnaise. Back then, I never heard of putting ayn other kind of condiment on one. McDonald's hamburgers were the first ones that I had ever heard of putting mustard and ketchup on. But I never ate McD's burgers when I was growing up. I always preferred their Filet-O-Fish.

Growing up in Nj in the early 60's most of the McDonald's would use ketchup and sliced pickels on their burgers,then in the 70's they added mustard and chopped onions.I prefer the ketcup and pickel chipson a hamburger,but my favorite is american and cheddar with the thick slice bacon.

Growing up in the suburbs of Toronto before burgers went "gourmet": ketchup (Heinz only!), regular ballpark mustard and green pickle relish. Now, I like my burgers with sauteed Vidalia onions (sauteed with a bit of extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, white pepper salt and thyme), a nice thick slice of tomato and good BBQ sauce (around here that's sweet and tomato-based). A slice of cheese can replace the onions, but it has to be real cheddar, not that processed abomination that comes on most cheeseburgers.

I like only the meat, onions and the bun. Boring yes, but I have never been one to put a lot of sauces on meat, I love the taste of the meat.Once in a very great while and only if we are cooking on the grill I will put a little bit of pizza sauce on my hamburger toward the end of grilling.